Healing Alternatives

Why pins beat pills as a remedy
PLUS: Green Living Tip of the Week

Shannon Gallagher

At playgroup on Tuesday, us moms had a really interesting conversation about non-mainstream ways to address issues, from allergies to depression, that are usually treated with medication or surgery. The conversation started as two moms shared their heartbreaking struggles with breastfeeding; one’s inability to do so (and the severe depression that came with it) led her to the alternative healing modalities. She made her own formula from raw milk (and now feeds her family a traditional, whole foods diet), and uses acupressure to treat her three-year-old son’s allergies. “There was a plan for me,” she said of the lifestyle change. “Now, I just want to sing this stuff from the rooftops!”

I’m also compelled to enthusiastically share my alternative-medicine experiences. I’m inclined to try a natural remedy first, especially with Coraline. Luckily, the Hudson Valley boasts an impressive community of healers who treat common childhood (and grown-up) ailments naturally. Chronic ear infections? Try an osteopath like Ari Rosen in Stone Ridge. Little one isn’t sleeping or seems particularly aggravated? Try a chiropractor who has experience in pediatric chiropractic like Drs. Jessica or Joshua Burckhard at Rhinebeck Chiropractic. At Woodstock Wellness, chiropractor Alan Hutchins, deals with everything from cranky joints to adrenal fatigue, using a vast array of techniques including Applied Kinesiology, traditional chiropractic adjustment, flower essences, and homeopathy; he frequently works with children of all ages, with great success.

Unlike medications or procedures developed only in the last several decades (or less), treatments like acupuncture or homeopathy have been around for centuries

They’re all-natural. Rather than giving your child remedies manufactured in labs, you use food, flower, or herb-based ones

Instead of treating a symptom, these approaches tend to look at the big picture: your body as a whole, your emotional health, and your lifestyle. For this reason, they’re particularly adept at treating young children, who — because of their limited communication skills — can’t identify complex emotions that may be at the root of their physical discomfort

Green Living Tip of the Week:Eat less meat. The factory-farming of cows is responsible for more damage to the ozone than cars — by a lot. All that methane is bad for our environment, and the way factory-farmed animals are treated is bad for our conscience. Don’t want to go fully veg? You can still make a difference by eating a few vegetarian meals a week. And when you do eat meat, try to stick to locally and humanely raised animals!

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About This Blog

Shannon Gallagher

Rhinebeck, NY

Dutchess County native Shannon Gallagher is a contributing editor for Hudson Valley Magazine. An erstwhile thrill-seeker, these days she courts disaster of a different variety wrangling a spirited toddler, honing her vegan baking skills, and chasing the ever-elusive work-family balance. She teaches Pilates and does fascial bodywork, and lives in Rhinebeck with Coraline, a cat named Otie, and Sushi the Fish (named, of course, by the toddler).